Shirase and Hiratsuka-sensei arrived at the Service Club one after the other.
The clubroom door was ajar, and the moment Shirase knocked, the long-haired girl reading inside lifted her head.
Their eyes met. Yukinoshita Yukino blinked, a faint crease forming between her brows. "Why are you here?"
"Hi~" Hiratsuka-sensei poked her head out from behind him.
Yukinoshita's expression instantly smoothed over. "Oh, did Hiratsuka-sensei bring Shirase-san here?"
"Nope. He's the one who wanted to come. I just ran into him on the way and got curious about what he was up to," Hiratsuka said quickly, washing her hands of involvement.
"I see. Please, have a seat then." Yukino nodded lightly, though the earlier confusion flickered back into her eyes. She was clearly curious about Shirase's sudden visit.
But neither of them sat right away. Instead, they both turned toward another girl sitting nearby.
She had fluffy peach-colored hair tied into a dango-style bun, a cute face, and the top three buttons of her uniform undone—revealing her delicate, pale collarbones.
"Oh, it's Yuigahama. What brings you here?" Hiratsuka-sensei smiled warmly; she clearly knew the girl.
Feeling their attention on her, Yuigahama Yui jumped a little and quickly stood. "I—I had something to ask Yukinoshita-san for help with…"
Then she stole a nervous glance at Shirase before blurting out, "I'm Yuigahama Yui from Class 1-B. Nice to meet you, Shirase-san."
"Nice to meet you too." Shirase nodded politely. He'd seen her around school before, but they'd never talked.
"You're also here to ask Yukino for help? What a coincidence," Hiratsuka-sensei teased, her gossiping instincts in full bloom.
"Also?" Yuigahama echoed, instinctively glancing at Shirase.
Yukino closed her book and looked directly at him. "So, Shirase-san, what exactly do you need from me?"
Ignoring the curiosity practically radiating from both women, Shirase calmly walked over and took the seat across from her. "The soccer match."
Yukino understood instantly. "You want me to gather information for you?"
She already knew about the formidable opponent the soccer club would face next.
"Yes," Shirase confirmed.
"But why me, not my sister?" Yukino's slender fingers traced the edge of her book absently, the light catching her delicate mauve-painted nails.
"Huh? Why Haruno?" Hiratsuka cut in immediately, gossip-eater Number One.
"Because last time," Yukino explained, "my sister willingly provided Shirase-san with intel. So I'm curious—if he wants information again, why not ask her directly?"
"Because I don't have Haruno-san's contact info," Shirase said simply.
Yukino blinked. "That's not right. Didn't she message you last time to invite you to the restaurant?"
Restaurant?
Gossip-eater Number Two, Yuigahama Yui, blinked rapidly. The school's genius beauty and the soccer club's ace had what kind of secret development?
Her inner gossip-fire burned bright.
She sneaked a glance at Hiratsuka-sensei, worried her teacher might notice—only to find the older woman wearing the exact same eager expression.
…Oh. Never mind then.
"I really don't have Haruno-san's contact info," Shirase repeated patiently.
Realization dawned on Yukino. "You didn't save it last time?"
"Correct."
"If my sister finds out, she'll definitely remember you."
"I think she already does," Shirase said evenly.
"No, that's not what I meant." Yukino's ruby lips curved into a faint, knowing smile. "She'll probably start planning games to play with you."
"Is that so? I happen to be pretty good at games myself—I just wonder what faction Haruno-san belongs to," Shirase said seriously.
Yukino blinked. "Faction?"
"With utmost sincerity," Shirase explained, "is she into Street Fighter or King of Fighters? Or maybe open-world games like Zelda?"
"…"
Yukino stared at him in silence for two long seconds before her smile faded. "Don't play dumb. With your intelligence, you know exactly what I mean."
Shirase rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So all three guesses were wrong? Could it be that Haruno-san's actually into…"
He paused, then asked solemnly, "Anime games?"
Yukino didn't answer. Her clear, cold eyes locked onto him, her aura sharp enough to slice the air.
Shirase seemed completely unbothered. He reached casually into his pocket, and there was a faint metallic clink.
Yukino's gaze followed the sound—and then froze.
A small keychain peeked out: a cheerful panda cupping its face, Mr. Pan, rendered in an unfamiliar but irresistibly cute style.
"Why did they suddenly stop talking?" Gossip-eater Number One whispered, elbowing Yuigahama's arm.
Eh? You're asking me?
Yuigahama looked scandalized. From their angle, neither of them could see the keychain, so Hiratsuka was just plain confused.
Yuigahama, meanwhile, was stunned that her teacher was the bigger gossip of the two. Look at her—trying to conspire with a student like a veteran rumor-hound.
In terms of gossiping, I admit defeat, Yuigahama muttered inwardly, then whispered, "I-I'm not sure either. Maybe Yukinoshita-san's just… thinking?"
Just as the two gossipers exchanged baffled looks, Yukino finally tore her gaze from the panda and stared at Shirase again. "What's the meaning of this?"
Shirase answered with calm sincerity, "I want to bribe you."
Yukino nearly choked.
She'd never seen anyone use the word bribe with such open, unflinching honesty.
Rubbing her temples, she sighed. "It seems you really didn't save my sister's contact info. Otherwise, you wouldn't have come all the way here for help."
"Exactly," Shirase admitted.
The real reason, of course, was that the damned system had once threatened to pick a fight with Haruno. Out of caution, Shirase had deleted her contact info entirely—because if that reckless system ever took over again, who knew what chaos it might cause?
After all, this was the same system that panicked at the sight of a math problem. Trusting it was out of the question.
---
bonus chaps
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200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
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